Son witnesses dad get run over on I30

(KATV) A man who ran out of gas along interstate 30 in Benton lost his life when he tried to cross the busy lanes. His son witnessed the horrifying accident. Cory Waters Senior, 36, of Little Rock died on the scene.

Father and son were in separate cars on their way back to Little Rock from Texarkana. The victim and his children had a hobby in common and he was driving back a gift the whole family could enjoy.

Cory Waters Junior says, "I really just don't know what to think. This morning I went in his room just to see if he is still here, to see if it really happened last night. I am really in shock. I don't know what to think."

Monday evening, Cory Junior and his friend noticed his dad's truck parked on the overpass. He says the truck was out of gas and his dad already started walking. "I heard a lot of commotion and when I got up there I saw a bunch of traffic. Drivers were running over his body and my best friend told me he (Cory Senior) had just been hit by an ambulance."

Cory Senior died instantly. Witnesses say some drivers were unable to stop because of their speed; others kept going because they didn't see the body. "When I got there, an 18 wheeler had just run him over. After I saw that, I just turned around."

These pigeons are why Cory Senior was on I30. He was driving them home from Texarkana.

There dad starting raising a variety of breeds as a child and it became a hobby for the whole family. "Now me and my little brother are going to raise them in his memory."

It is a gift that keeps 17 year old Cory Junior, 10 year old Cortlen and 8 year old Ciara smiling through this difficult time. "He was a good father. He was always there to help us when we needed it. We are going to try our best just to get through this."

The family is no stranger to tragedy. Cory Waters Senior's sister was killed by a drunk driver.

Cory Senior's death comes month after he recovered from a nearly fatal gunshot wound. He was shot while driving. When the suspect was arrested, he admitted Waters was not his intended target.

The Arkansas State Police is investigating the accident. According to their records, this death is the 356th fatality in a traffic accident in the state this year.